Local Spells His Way To National Bee

By Nicholas Briano

Neil Alacha with his parents after winning the 44th Annual Daily News Spelling Bee on March 13 to earn a trip to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. Eighth-grader Neil Alacha was still in shock when he walked into Bishop MacLean senior home on Beach 20 Street this Sunday for his weekly volunteer work.

His picture was hanging on the wall and the congratulations were overwhelming, because just three days before on March 13, three times became a charm for Neil.

Neil, Neponsit resident and Scholars' Academy student, on his third attempt at greatness has finally been crowned the spelling bee champ of New York City, and has earned his way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Alacha, who participated in the annual Daily News Spelling Bee the previous two years, was determined and more prepared than ever to show New York City that no one could spell better than he at this year's competition.

The 44th annual contest, split into two separate competitions, featured 96 of the top students from fifth to eighth grade including both public and private schools.

Neil will be joined in Washington by another New York City champion, who was crowned on the second day of competition.

Neil credits his victory to some solid but simple advice that his mom gave him after he lost the previous two years.

"I told him he has to slow down," his mother, Ann, said. "He spelled too fast and didn't know what word he had to spell."

Ann is referring to last year when Neil was knocked out for misspelling "psalm," a word that he had mistaken for another. This year he ousted his opponent by correctly spelling "anomaly."

"This time around I made sure I asked the definition and country of origin for every single word," Neil said. "Last year I misheard the word, mainly because I didn't ask any questions."

Neil not only credits his success to this, but also felt he was better prepared than previous years and knew how to spell nearly every word in the competition beforehand.